Static IP will require you to set the gateway to that of your home router. The Red interface (in this set up) can be set to receive a IP address via DHCP which offers the easiest set up, but you’ll probably want to configure a static IP later or you’ll be chasing your IPFire instance after a reboot. The Green interface can technically be anything you want, but it’s sensible to use another designated-private IP address such as 10.0.0.1 or (192.168.1.1 if you prefer). In the configuration described above, where we have a secure network ‘underneath’ our home LAN, the Red interface ought to conform to the rest of the LAN with a likely IP address of form 192.168.0.x.
IP addresses must be set up for the network devices under IPFire’s control. The idea is that traffic can flow from Green to Red, but not in the other direction. In practice (if you’re not using IPFire on a machine which connects directly to your ISP) these will both connect via your home router ultimately, but your Green network interface will connect (either via crossover cable, wireless or another router switch) to the machines you want IPFire to protect. Typically the Green network will be your private network and the Red network refers to the one connected to the Internet. Use the first option if you need to set up more adapters, and use the second option to assign colors to network hardware. You can use up to four adapters with IPFire, and things get even more colorful if you do that. Setting up Red and Green Networks on IPFireįor a two-adapter setup, we must assign one device the Green network and the other device the Red network.